The
village of Renswoude dates from the 17th century and was built near a
castle. It was the lord of the castle, Johan van Reede, who
commissioned the building of a chapel for the castle, the current
church. Until 1922 the building was the property of the lords of
Renswoude, after which it was handed to the reformed community.
Although there's no real evidence for it, the design is usually
attributed to Jacob van Campen, who was responsible for the very
similar church in Hooge
Zwaluwe built at the same time.
It's a centralizing church in sober Classical style. The ground plan is
in the shape of a Greek cross with short arms, with an octagonal tower
with dome covering the crossing. The buttresses at the corners become
thicker at the bottom, a reference to the image people had in that time
of the temple of Jerusalem.
The building shows traces of several restorations. At the front it's
clear to see the shape of a simple portal from the 17th century which
was removed in 1935-1937. One can only wonder why it was removed, or
why it was not rebuilt during a restoration in 1971.